Valve release mechanism for a well device



Sept. 27, 1966 w, NEL N ETAL 3,275,080

VALVE RELEASE MECHANISM FOR A WELL DEVICE 2 Sheets-$heet 1 Filed May 15, 1964 P 27, 1966 r w. F. NELSON ETAL 3,275,080

VALVE RELEASE MECHANISM FOR A WELL DEVICE Filed May 15, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Wayne E A e /J 0/7 6 A. fiaya INVENTORS 137%fly A TTOANE m United States Patent 3,275,080 VALVE RELEASE MECHANISM FOR A WELL DEVICE Wayne F. Nelson and Gil R. Boyd, Waxahachie, Tex.,

assignors to Koehring Company, Waxahachie, Tex., a

corporation of Wisconsin Filed May 15, 1964, Ser. No. 367,659 4 Claims. (Cl. 166225) The present invention relates to an improved release mechanism for a well device.

Such well devices have been secured in a well pipe and are provided with a flapper or back-check valve which is retained in inactive position until released; Such devices are commonly used with automatic fill-up devices such as are disclosed in the Wayne F. Nelson Patent Nos. 2,973,006 issued February 28, 1961, and 3,072,145 issued January 8, 1963.

One object of the present invention is to provide an improved device including a releasably held sleeve maintaining a back-check valve in inactive position and means associated with said sleeve for releasing the sleeve and thereby allowing the back-check valve to become active.

Another object is to provide an improved device having a releasably held sleeve maintaining a back-check valve in inactive position including elements supporting a closure element wherein such support elements are movable radially within the sleeve on release of the sleeve and upon such radial movement release the closure element.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved device having a releasably held sleeve maintaining a back-check valve in inactive position including support elements which are radially movable within the sleeve, a bore in which said sleeve is mounted and a groove therebetween wherein release of said sleeve moves said elements into said groove and thereby releases a closure element supported by said elements.

The construction designed to carry out the invention will be hereinafter described, together with other features thereof.

The invention will be more readily understood from a reading of the following specification by reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof, wherein an example of the invention is shown and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a transverse vertical sectional view of an improved well device, constructed in accordance with the invention and showing the back-check valve maintained in inactive position.

FIGURE 2 is a similar view, illustrating the release sleeve of the device in its lower or release position and the back-check valve in its active position subsequent to release by the release sleeve.

FIGURE 3 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken on the line 33 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken on the line 44 of FIGURE 2.

In the drawings, the numeral designates a cylindrical tubular body having a bore 11 extending therethrough. Tubular body 10 is composed of outer body member 12 and inner body member 13 which is positioned and held within outer body member 12 by concrete filler 14. The outer body member 12 is internally threaded at 15 to provide means for engaging the device in a well pipe string. The lower end of tubular body 10 as shown in the figures is externally threaded at 16 to provide means for engaging the device in a well pipe string. It should be noted that the lower portion of the device may be formed in concrete to have a snub nose whereby the device may act as a shoe on a well string. In the form shown in the figures the device will act as a collar in a Well string. Inner body member 13 will be composed of a number of component parts and may be made in parts as shown in the drawings or in any other combination of components which are deemed suitable for economy of manufacture and assembly. An annular inclined valve seat 17 is provided in the upper interior of inner body member 13. Flapper valve or back-check valve 18 is pivotally mounted on pin 19 which extends between bosses 20 of inner body member 13. Spring 21 or other suitable resilient means is provided to urge flapper valve 18 into engagement with seat 17. The interior of inner body member 13 is enlarged at the point of installation of flapper valve 18 as compared to bore 11 so that when flapper valve 18 is in inactive position, as shown in FIGURE 1, it does not provide any restriction to the flow through tubular body 10. This enlarged area of inner body member 13 is designated by the numeral 22. Below enlarged portion 22, inner body member 13 is provided with downwardly facing shoulder 23, bore 23a, groove 24 and upwardly facing shoulder 25.

An annular element or sleeve 26 is tubular in shape and is provided with a bore 27 of substantially the same diameter as the bore 11. The exterior of sleeve 26 is provided with upwardly facing shoulder 28 which is in engagement with downwardly facing shoulder 23 when sleeve 26 is in its upper position as shown in FIGURE 1. One side of the upper exterior portion of element or sleeve 26 is provided with flat surface 29 which engages flapper valve 18 to retain flapper valve 18 in its inactive or retracted position. O-ring 30 is provided in the exterior of sleeve 26 below shoulder 28 to provide a seal between sleeve 26 and the interior of inner body member 13.

As best shown in FIGURES 3 and 4, the lower portion of sleeve 26 is provided with a plurality of radially extending holes 31 containing radially movable support elements or dogs 32. It should be noted that the inner projecting surface of dogs 32 is generally hemispherical in shape and that the innermost ends of the holes 31 generally conform to this hemispherical shape to provide a lip portion 33 limiting the inward movement of dogs 32 to prevent them from moving completely out into the bore 27 of sleeve 26. In the upper position of sleeve 26, shown in FIGURES 1 and 3, sleeve 26 is secured to inner body member 13 by releasable means such as shear pin 34. Shear pin 34 should be of sufiicient size to retain sleeve 26 in its upper position during all normal conditions of running in of the Well pipe. In the upper position of sleeve 26, dogs 32 engage bore 23a and are thereby held in position to project into bore 27 of sleeve The device of the present invention with sleeve 26 secured in its upper position to inner body member 13 by shear pin 34 will be connected as a collar or shoe on a well string and run into the well until it is desired that the device provide a back-check control. At such time, a closure element 35 such as a ball and plug is injected into the well string and pumped downward into the device. In FIGURE 1, the closure element 35 is shown in broken lines as a ball sealing the bore 27 and supported by the dogs 32. With closure element 35 closing the bore 27 through sleeve 26, an increase in pressure in the well string above the device will exert a downward force on sleeve 26 causing pin 34 to shear and moving sleeve 26 to its lower position wherein the lower portion of sleeve 26 is in engagement with upwardly facing shoulder 25 on inner body member 13. In this position dogs 32 are no longer engaging bore 23a and free to move radially outward into the groove 24 and groove 24 has suflicient depth to allow the radial outward movement of dogs 32 until the support for closure element 35 provided by dogs 3 32 is completely removed, allowing closure element 35 to pass through bore 27 and downwardly below the device as shown in broken lines in FIGURE 2. In this position the flat surface 29 on sleeve 26 has become disengaged from flapper valve 18 and when released, flapper valve 18 will cooperate with seat 17 to prevent upward flow through bore -11 while allowing a downward flow'of fluid through bore 11.

With flapper valve 18 released, the device of the present invention may be used to cooperate with other devices that the inner surface of dogs 32 provide sufl'icient projection to support closure means 35 with release sleeve '26 and that some structure such as shoulders 33 is provided to retain dogs 32 in holes 31 in sleeve 26. For example, dogs 32 may have a rectangular cross-section and a concave outer surface with a shoulder on dogs 32 engaging in a recess in sleeve 26 providing a stop against inward movement of dogs 32 into bore 27. without departing from the spirit of the invention.

As stated, the device of the present invention may be used as a collar in a well pipe string or as a shoe. Also, the device may be used in cooperation with automatic fill-up devices such as are disclosed in the Wayne F. Nelson Patent Nos. 2,973,006 issued February 28, 1961, and 3,072,145 issued January 8, 1963. The flexible valve portion of such devices is used to control the filling of the well pipe and may be used in conjunction with the device of the present invention whereby the flow of fluid from the well bore into the well pipe is regulated during the running of the device.

From the foregoing, it can be seen that the closure element used to actuate the release sleeve from its upper to its lower position, whereby flapper valve 18 is released from its inactive position, will pass completely through the device. This release of the closure element 35 is positively controlled since dogs 32 will not retract from bore 27 of sleeve 26 until sleeve 26 has been moved to its re lease positionand dogs 32 can move outward into groove 24. The retention of dogs 32 in bore 27 will assure that sleeve 26 is moved to its release position and flapper valve 18 is released before closure element 35 is allowed to pass through bore 27.

Also an improved well device has been provided having 1 a releasably held sleeve retaining a flapper valve in inactive position until the sleeve is released and moved to its release position and thereafter the flapper valve will be active to prevent flow upwardly therethrough.

The foregoing disclosure and description of the invention is illustrative and explanatory thereof and various changes inthe size, shape and materials, as well as in the details of the illustrated construction, may be made within said flapper valve out of engagementwith said seat,

means Ieleasably securing said annular element to said port elements to move out of supporting relation to 7 said closure element, whereby said closure element is discharged from said bore of said annular element. 2. A well device adapted for installation in awell string comprising,

a body having a flow way'therethrough and adapted to be made up in a well string,

an annular valve seat in said body surrounding said flow-way, a flapper valve adapted to engage said annular valve seat and close flow upwardly through said flow-way, a sleeve within said body having a central bore therethrough,

means releasably securing said sleeve to said .body

whereby the upper. lip of said sleeve retains said flapper valve in a position out of engagement with said annular seat, and

a plurality of support elements extending through said sleeve into theoentral bore thereof,

said sleeve adapted to move out of engagement with said flapper valve when said releasable securing means releases responsive to pressure above said sleeve when said bore through said sleeve is closed,

said support elements providing support for a closure element within the bore of said sleeve when said sleeve is retaining said flapper valve and to withdraw support from a closure element when said sleeve has moved to its release position.

3. A well device adapted for installation in a well string comprising,

a body having a flow-way therethrough and adapted to 'be made up in a well string,

an annular valve seat in said body surrounding said a flapper valve adapted to engage said annular valve seat, seating of said flapper .valve on said seat closin flow upwardly through said flow-way,

a sliding sleeve within said body normally holding said flapper valve out of engagement with said seat, means releasably securing said sliding sleeve to said body in the normal position of said sleeve,

a groove on the interior of said body below said normal position of said sleeve, a plurality'of radial holes through said sleeve, and a radially movable member positioned within each of said holes and extending into the bore of said sleeve when said sleeve is in said normal position,

said radially. movable members'adapted to retainta,

a body having a flow-way therethrough and adapted to,

be made up in a well string, an annular valve seat in said body surrounding said flow-way,

a flapper valve adapted to engage said annular valve seat and close flow upwardly through said flowy,

a sleeve within said body having a central bore therethrough,

means releasably securing said sleeve to said body whereby a portion of said sleeve engages and holds said flapper valve out of engagement with said annular seat,

a plurality of support elements extending through said sleeve into the central bore thereof,

said sleeve adapted to move out of engagement with said flapper valve when said releasable securing means releases responsive to pressure above said sleeve when said bore through said sleeve is closed,

said support elements providing support for a closure element within the bore of said sleeve when said support from -a closure element when said sleeve has moved to its release position, and

means limiting the movement of said support elements into the bore of said sleeve.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS CHARLES E. OCONNELL, Primary Examiner.

sleeve is retaining said flapper valve and to Withdraw 5 D. H. BROWN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A WELL DEVICE ADAPTED FOR INSTALLATION IN A WELL STRING COMPRISING, A BODY HAVING A FLOW-WAY THERETHROUGH AND ADAPTED TO BE MADE UP IN A WELL STRING, AN ANNULAR VALVE SEAT IN SAID BODY SURROUNDING SAID FLOW-WAY, A FLAPPER VALVE ADAPTED TO ENGAGE SAID ANNULAR VALVE SEAT, SEATING OF SAID FLAPPER VALVE ON SAID SEAT CLOSING FLOW UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID FLOW-WAY, AN ANNULAR ELEMENT WITHIN SAID BODY NORMALLY HOLDING SAID FLAPPER VALVE OUT OF ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID SEAT, MEANS RELEASABLY SECURING SAID ANNULAR ELEMENT TO SAID BODY IN A POSITION HOLDING SAID FLAPPER TO SAID ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID SEAT, AND 